Mask of Vaikuntha Vishnu, late 5th century. Learn more about 5th century masks
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In architecture, uppermost member of a column or pilaster, wider than the shaft and often distinctively carved or decorated in monumental buildings, being visible from below. In load-bearing columns it helps transfer the weight of the supported beam or arch to the shaft via its topmost section, the abacus. From the Latin caput, meaning ‘head’.